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Pain is not equal: study probes how race and income alter back pain

NCT ID NCT05991440

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 13, 2026 · Last updated Jul 14, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study investigates how a person's racial background and socioeconomic status—such as income, education, and employment—affect their experience of chronic low back pain. Researchers will compare pain severity, sensitivity, and psychological factors like depression and stress between Black and White participants. The goal is to uncover disparities that could lead to fairer, more effective pain care.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to
If successful, this research could reveal why chronic low back pain affects people differently based on race and income, pointing toward more personalized pain management approaches.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It will not directly improve pain and may not identify clear causes due to many overlapping factors.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 240 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Apr 2024

Expected to finish

Dec 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

For this study we will incorporate a combination of clinic-based and community-based participant recruitment. Participants will be recruited from the Pain Treatment Clinics at the Wash U Pain Center and VUMC, as well as the surrounding communities in St. Louis and Nashville, respectively.

Ages

18 to 85 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion: * Non-specific cLBP that has persisted for at least 3 months and has resulted in pain on at least half the days in the past 6 months. * Age 18 - 85; the lower end of this age range was chosen to capture the growing prevalence of young adults with cLBP, and participants over 85 years are increasingly likely to meet one or more exclusion criteria. * Participants report ethnic group as non-Hispanic and racial group as either Black/African American or White/Caucasian. Exclusion: * Low back pain that is attributable to other factors such as ankylosing spondylitis, infection, malignancy, compression fracture of other trauma. * Systemic rheumatic disease/condition (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, fibromyalgia). * Any other chronic pain condition that the participant believes to be more prominent or severe than the low back pain. * A history of clinically significant surgery to the low back within the past year. * Uncontrolled hypertension (i.e. SBP/DBP of \> 150/95), cardiovascular or peripheral arterial disease. * Poorly controlled diabetes (HbA1c \> 8%). * Neurological disease (e.g. Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy). * Serious psychiatric disorder requiring hospitalization within the past 12 months or characterized by active suicidal ideation. * Diminished cognitive function that would interfere with understanding of study procedures.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Chronic Pain chronic pain syndrome Low Back Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Chronic pain

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Washington University School of Medicine

    RECRUITING

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

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